The Yamaha High School Softball Team
by Heartache14
Summary: Through no fault of their own, eleven unlikely people are brought together and forced to play on their school's co-ed softball team! Join them for a wild ride of laughter, love, heart break, and jealousy. KaitoxLen
1. A Little Guidance

A/N: Hey, everyone and welcome to my newest fic, _THE YAMAHA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL TEAM_! I am very excited about this story! It's gonna be pretty long (my longest yet). Long chapters (O.O I never write long chapters!) and, well, A _LOT_ of chapters (I've been writing up my chapter outlines for this story and I'm already at chapter 42). So, yeah.

My main pairing for this story is gonna be KaitoxLen, because they are just so cute together! *fangirl spasm*

**Disclaimer:**

Heartache-chan does not own Vocaloid. TT_TT

ENJOY!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One: A Little Guidance<strong>

For Kagamine Len, today was just an ordinary day. Or so he thought.

He was awoken by a smack to the head and a kiss on the cheek. His sister Rin grinned down at him as he rubbed the top of his head. "Good morning, Len-Len!" she exclaimed. Rin was already dressed in her school uniform – a short-sleeved white button down, a short navy blue skirt, and the plaid tie which she insisted on tying around her neck in a bow. A pair of knee-high orange socks completed the look. Her hair was already brushed and her floppy white bow was in place.

Len, in comparison, was still in his pajamas. With a groan, he rolled out of bed. "Good morning, Rin," he replied. "I see someone's excited about the first day of school."

Rin laughed and took a seat on Len's bed while waiting for him to finish getting dressed. "Of course I am. I'm captain of the softball team this year. We're going to be unstoppable this year, Lenny!"

Len rolled his eyes as he pulled his messy golden hair up into a ponytail. "I will be happily cheering you on from the stands then." He tugged on his favorite pair of socks, a little white pair with bananas on them. Finally dressed, Len grabbed his school bag and headed to the kitchen.

"You should really consider playing this year, Len," his twin continued as she trailed behind him. "Everyone who played last year was a senior, so there's going to be a completely new team. It'll be a good opportunity for you to meet new people. Who knows? Maybe you'll even get a girlfriend this year."

"Rin!" Len scolded his sister as he pushed some Poptarts into the toaster. A faint shine of pink colored his cheeks. Len sighed, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter since I don't know how to play softball."

"C'mon, Len! You used to play baseball! They're almost exactly the same!"

"Yeah, Rin, I did play, when I was six! And even then I wasn't good!" Len shoved a small bundle of napkin wrapped Poptarts at her, then grabbed his own. "Besides, I don't really want to play softball." The siblings kicked on their shoes and stepped out into the warm September air.

Rin pouted. "But it's sooooo much fun," she drawled, taking a bite of her breakfast. "I just know you'll love it."

Len sighed. "Fine. I guess I'll try it." _I'm so weak_, he thought. _I just can't say no to her_.

"Yay!" the stubborn girl shouted. "This is gonna be so much fun!"

* * *

><p>Shion Kaito sighed as he glanced at the finalized copy of his schedule. He turned to his guidance counselor and looked at the woman with pleading eyes. "Are you sure there's nothing you can do about this?"<p>

The older woman smiled sympathetically, "I'm sorry, Kaito-kun, but you have to take gym. It's a graduation requirement. Though, you may be able to play a sport instead. If you choose to play a sport after school, you might be able to convince your teacher to grade you on that rather than your gym class."

Kaito frowned, his sapphire eyes glistening with fake tears. "I don't think that's gonna work for me. I have a problem when it comes to physical activity. I don't like it. Exercise and I do not get along!" he rambled dramatically.

The counselor bit back her laughter. "Well, that is rather…ahem, unfortunate, Kaito-kun, but there are no other options for you. I hear that the softball team needs new people this year. Why don't you try that? I'm sure it'll be easier to practice one sport, rather than the multitude of sports you have to play in physical education."

The blunette nodded forlornly as he slinked out of the office. On his way to first block, Kaito stopped at his locker. In his depression-muddled haze, he did not notice the two twins standing at the locker next to him.

Rin guffawed as Len frantically reached for the notebook he stuffed on the top shelf of his locker. "Len, how did you even get it up there in the first place?" she inquired between chuckles.

"A janitor was coming by and I asked him to put it on the top shelf! I thought it was one of my spare notebooks, but it's the one I need for my first class," he whined.

"Hey, why don't you ask that guy to get it for you?" Rin suggested, pointing to Kaito with one hand and using the other to wipe away her tears of glee. Len heeded his sister's advice and tapped the taller man on the shoulder. Kaito turned, and his breath caught in his throat.

Bright aquamarine eyes shined up at him. Kaito found himself closely watching the boy. His hair was like sunlight, and a long thick tangle of eyelashes framed his captivating eyes. When he spoke, his voice was sweet and musical. "Could you please grab my notebook for me? It's on the top shelf, and I can't reach it."

Kaito nodded mutely and retrieved the item. Their fingers brushed lightly when Kaito relinquished the notebook. Rin watched them with curious eyes, carefully studying the blue-haired boy's reactions and facial expressions. A smirk appeared on her face. The female twin grabbed her brother's hand and began tugging him away. "C'mon, _Len_," she emphasized for Kaito's sake, "Let's hurry before we're late to class."

"Ah, okay, Rin." Len turned to his locker neighbor, smiling sincerely. "Thank you, onii-chan!" the blond chirped. He slammed his locker closed and allowed Rin to tug him away. Kaito just stood there, staring after the brother and sister. "Len," he murmured, enjoying the way the name felt on his tongue.

* * *

><p>Hatsune Miku stormed through the hallway, moving quicker than light. Her close friend, Neru, held on for dear life, allowing the determined girl to just pull her along.<p>

Miku was Yamaha High's requisite over-achiever. She was president of the student council and was very active in the community. She volunteered at the animal shelter, acted as president of more than seven different clubs, and still maintained the second highest GPA in their grade. She was determined to get in a prestigious school in America, marry rich, and take over the world someday.

Well, at least that's what everyone thought.

Neru, on the other hand, was not quite as ambitious as her teal counterpart. The blonde just wanted to shop, socialize, and have fun. While Miku spent her time participating, Neru was texting and shopping. She was content with getting a small, well-paying job and just relaxing for the rest of her life. While Miku's go-go-go attitude was admirable, it was not for Neru.

Though the two girls were complete opposites in this sense, they got along very well and could only be described as best friends. They did everything together. It is because of this that Neru found herself being pushed in front of a sign-up sheet outside of the gym doors. Even from the outside, the two girls could make out the sounds of squeaking shoes and bouncing balls. The piece of paper in front of them was nearly blank with the exception of one name written in bright orange highlighter with a smiley face next to it.

Miku grabbed the purple pen placed next to the sign-up sheet and scrawled out her name neatly with a heart on the end. Before Neru even had the opportunity to protest, the diva wrote down her name as well. The blonde sighed, and then Miku pulled her down the hall once more.

* * *

><p>Honne Dell stood in the doorway of his guidance counselor's office with a bored look on his face. As usual, he sported a completely bastardized version of his school uniform – shirt un-tucked, blazer open, and no tie. The blond woman, rather than doing work, was reading manga. Dell caught sight of two scantily clad boys on the cover. The white-haired delinquent cleared his throat and watched on in internal amusement as the woman frantically rushed to shove her yaoi manga under her desk. Her face was bright red.<p>

"You wanted to see me, Lola-san?" Dell inquired disinterestedly. The counselor nodded, still a little embarrassed.

"Yes, come in, Dell-kun." Lola took a moment for the teen to make himself comfortable before immediately jumping into what she wanted to say. "Dell-kun, as you know, last year administration had some problems with your behavior." She paused, as though passively daring Dell to disagree. Dell merely rolled his eyes in response. The counselor continued.

"The principal and I talked about what to do about you." Lola fought to keep her voice from sounding exasperated, but it was difficult. She had seen Dell in her office so many times last year. He wasn't necessarily a bad kid, he just didn't do anything. He was always trying to smoke on campus and he didn't do much work in any of his classes. Most of his peers were afraid of him because of his blunt attitude and low tolerance for bullshit.

"We both agree that joining some kind of club would be good for you, Dell-kun. You'd have an opportunity to make friends. And who knows? Maybe a sport or something will give you the incentive you need to…" Lola trailed off. To do what? To do his schoolwork? To not smoke? The blonde moved on, "The point is you have to join some kind of extracurricular activity. You know, spend your time wholesomely."

Dell sneered, torn between laughing in the woman's face and cussing her out. He opened his mouth to protest, but Lola cut him off. "The softball team is in need of players. I think you'd do well in that, Dell."

The white-haired teenager snorted as he stood up and pushed his backpack onto his shoulder. "Whatever," he muttered. Lola smiled brightly at him and quickly wrote him a pass back to class. The counselor was quite pleased with herself; Dell hadn't immediately shot down her suggestion, so there was a possibility that he may actually do something this year!

* * *

><p>"Rin!" Len called out to his sister, waving her over to the table where he was currently seated. Rin and Gumi swiftly maneuvered their way through elaborate maze of tables and chairs in the cafeteria. When they finally arrived, the blond dropped her belongings onto the table with a dramatic huff. Len raised an eyebrow but did not comment. His curious blue eyes turned to Gumi.<p>

The green-haired girl grinned, eager to explain. "She just found out that Hatsune Miku is joining the softball team."

Len's face wrinkled in confusion. "So what's the problem?" He turned to his twin, but once again she offered no information. Gumi was left to reply once more.

"She's afraid that Miku's gonna go after the spot of team captain. I've been trying to explain to her that it wouldn't matter because Rin's already our captain, but she's been in too much of a funk to hear me out. Maybe you can talk some sense into her, Lenny."

The golden-haired boy sighed. "Rin, Miku's not going to take your position. You're the best softball player in our school. Even if she was trying to become captain it wouldn't matter because you have the most experience in the sport." Len soothingly rubbed the blonde girl on the shoulder. Her pout lessened.

Gumi chimed in, "Yeah, besides, if that goody-two-shoes tries to take your place, we'll beat her up!" She slammed her fist against the open palm of her other hand, the violent gesture contrasting against the glowing smile on her face.

"Yeah!" Rin was already back to her usual exuberant self. "W-wait!" Len tried to intervene. "Rin, Gumi, you can't just beat people up! That's not right!" The two girls ignored him, continuing on with their ridiculous conversation about softball bats and fights. Rin's sea-colored eyes turned thoughtful.

"Ne, Gumi-chan, can we buy new outfits for beating someone up?"

The moss-haired girl nodded frantically. "Definitely! We can dress up like a biker gang!"

"And buy some of those candy cigarettes, so we look even more bad ass!" The friends carried on with their rash ideas. Len stood up with a sigh and mumbled something about getting food. The practical blond trudged his way to the lunch line, which was jam-packed with teenagers vying for a spot in line. It was crowded, as everyone was trying to skip each other. People came in behind Len, shoving him forward. He stumbled and crashed into someone. A warm hand on his arm kept him from falling face-first into the ground.

"Watch it." Len glanced up to see the scariest boy in school holding on to him, Honne Dell. Len forced himself not to be intimidated and flashed the older boy his nicest smile. "Thanks!"

Dell blinked at the blond for a few moments, leaving Len wondering if he'd done something wrong. However, the white-haired teenager muttered a quick, "Whatever," before edging into line behind Len. He glanced over his shoulder, daring the people behind to try and skip. They gulped collectively and backed off.

Len watched with wide eyes as Dell intimidated the hell out of the student body. However, he did not get an opportunity to comment before the line began moving forward, and he was ushered forward. Len picked his food – a chicken sandwich, a bunch of fries to share with Gumi, three oranges for Rin, and a banana for himself. He bent down to grab a strawberry milk and grabbed a chocolate milk for Dell as well. When he proffered it to older boy, Dell merely stared at him in surprise.

"Err, I thought you might like chocolate milk," Len stammered. Thankfully, though, Dell accepted the beverage without question. Len edged forward to pay for his food, then Dell did the same. The two acquaintances trailed out of the lunch line.

A sudden thought darted into Len's head, and he spoke before he had the opportunity to second guess himself. "Do you want to sit at the lunch table with us? It's just me, my sister, and her friend."

"Sure," Dell agreed and followed the blond to the table.

Len could feel the stares on his back, as the other students watch him walk with _Honne Dell_. Just as quickly, the eyes flickered away. He could only assume that Dell was staring back at them.

Gumi and Rin looked up when they heard Len approaching. Their peppy smiles immediately turned to shock as they caught sight of who was accompanying him. Len slid into his spot across from his sister, and Dell took the seat next to him. Neither Gumi nor Rin spoke, so Len took the introductions upon himself.

"This is Gumi and my sister, Rin. Oh, and I'm Len," the nervous fourteen year old added when he realized that he had not yet introduced himself.

"Dell," the white haired boy provided shortly. By now, both Gumi and Rin had regained their composure. They spoke quickly and excitedly to their new table mate. Len watched amusedly as they grilled Dell for every detail of his life. The elder seemed a little caught off guard but managed to endure Rin and Gumi's interrogation.

"So, Dell, do you have a girlfriend?" Rin asked, not so discreetly winking at Len. _What the hell?_

"No," he answered, shoveling French fries into his mouth.

Gumi piped up, clearly catching on to her friend's plan, "Well, there are a lot of cute girls on the softball team. You should consider trying out. We're always looking for new players. You look like you have a lot of power," she squeezed his left bicep, "I'm sure you'd make a great pitcher." Gumi waggled her eyebrows, leaving Len wondering if there was some kind of double-meaning in that statement.

Dell raised an eyebrow but did not comment, assuming that any innuendo was purely imagined on his part.

Of course, it was Rin who had to take the conversation to another level. She had never been a shy girl, always brash and unwavering. "Of course, there are cute guys on our team too, if you swing the other way." Rin winked at Dell. "My brother Len, for example."

"Rin, what the hell?" Len exclaimed. "What are you doing? Are you trying to set me up or something?"

"Well, you don't have a girlfriend, and I never see you flirting with any girls. Then there was that guy from this morning, and it sorta seemed like he liked you, and you were flirting back a little. I mean, I don't know if my little Lenny's gay, but…" Rin yammered on until Len finally cut her off.

"You mean the guy that helped me with my notebook? Rin, I was _not_ flirting with him!" The outraged boy shouted.

"But you were, Len!" she protested indignantly. "You were being all super sweet, and you called him onii-chan!"

"That's called being nice, not flirting!" A fiery red blush crept onto Len's cheeks. He could feel the other students in the cafeteria staring at their screaming match, and unfortunately, this time Dell was too engrossed in the twins' argument to intimidate them into looking away.

Rin opened her mouth to argue, but a deep throaty chuckle silenced anything she was going to say. Dell laughed, Rin just stared at him bewilderedly, and Len pouted at him angrily. _This is not funny!_

"Ha! You guys are a riot!" He patted Len on the back. Dell's uncharacteristic laughter was surprisingly contagious, and despite his anger, Len found himself joining in. Gumi, amused by the two friends, giggled, and soon Rin chorused in with her light, tinkling chuckles.

* * *

><p>Sakine Meiko narrowed her ruby eyes at her guidance counselor. Next to her, Kamui Gakupo sneered at the man as well. "What do you mean we're not competitive college candidates?" The brunette demanded furiously. Leon, normally a very relaxed man, had to fight the urge to shrink back against his leather rolling chair.<p>

"Well, both of you have good albeit a bit average grades. Neither of you participate in any extracurriculars," Leon stated bluntly. "Both of you are the same run-of-the-mill students that colleges see every year. Nothing makes you stand out."

"I was a member of the drama troupe for the past three years!" Gakupo argued.

"Yes, but you also got kicked out of the drama club last year," the counselor pointed out.

Meiko snorted, "Yeah, I heard about that. Something about you throwing a hissy fit when Megurine Luka stole your leading role or something?"

"I'm _always_ the leading man in all of our school plays, but that bubblegum bitch came along and ruined everything!"

"Language," Leon sang, but his warning went ignored.

Meiko's face twisted in confusion. "Wasn't last year's play _The Wizard of Oz_? I don't see the great Gackpoid hiding his face in a scarecrow costume." She smirked.

"Exactly!" Gakupo shouted, completely forgetting the reason they were really there. "Originally, our play was supposed to be _Hamlet_, but apparently Little Miss Bubblegum was tired of doing Shakespearean tragedies and wanted to do something happy and fun!" The violet-haired teen's voice became peppy and sarcastic. "When I voiced my displeasure, they kicked me out."

"You cussed out Megurine-san!" Leon clarified. "That was not an appropriate way to 'voice your displeasure', Gakupo-kun!"

Gakupo sank down into his seat petulantly, sulking rather childishly. Meiko rolled her eyes. "Whatever. So what do we need to do to become more 'competitive'?"

"Join a club or a sport. I think the softball team…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the brunette interrupted, standing and grabbing her bag. "I've been seeing the posters about it all day. C'mon, Kamui," she gestured for the violet to rise, "Let's go sign up."

Gakupo pouted and cut his eyes accusingly at his blond guidance counselor, as though it was his fault he was kicked out of the drama troupe and now forced to play a yucky sport. With a huff, Gakupo stomped behind Meiko, slamming the door shut on his way. Leon sighed and tiredly rested his head on the desk. "Sometimes, I really hate my job."

* * *

><p>Kaito panted as he completed his five billionth lap around the outdoor track. His gym teacher shouted at the blunette and his classmates, urging them to continue running. He had tried to explain that forcing a person whose diet consisted primarily of ice cream to run was just plain mean, but his gym teacher didn't want to hear it. They had only been outside for twenty minutes, and already Kaito was wishing he'd stayed inside and played basketball. He knew most of them would just be messing around and pretending to play anyway.<p>

Kaito had been thinking about Len all day. The ice cream lover knew without a doubt that he had never seen anyone as beautiful as Len. He wanted to know more about the blond. What is his favorite food? What kind of music does he like? Does he have a girlfriend? More importantly, does he like ice cream?

The teenager sighed to himself. How silly of him, to be so obsessed with a boy he barely knew.

The evil gym teacher (Demon-sensei, as Kaito referred to him is his head) blew the whistle for the students to head inside for some water. Kaito made to head indoors – ah, the sweet promise of air conditioning! – but a grating voice stopped him. "Shion!"

Kaito turned around to see Demon-sensei patiently waiting for him. Kaito took his sweet time getting over there. "Yes, sensei?"

"You need to get your act together, or you're never going to pass this class," Demon-sensei barked. "I've had injured students run faster than you."

"Aren't you supposed to grade on effort, not ability?" Kaito questioned.

"You didn't make any effort, Shion! You just skipped along the track with some goofy smile on your face! What, were you thinking about your girlfriend or something?"

The blue haired teen blushed. He should've known that thinking about Len was a bad idea. "Err, yeah. Something like that."

Demon-sensei shook his head. _This kid is hopeless_. "Head inside with the others, Shion." Kaito speedily walked to the school's side entrance nearest the gym. He stopped at the water fountain – if only it poured out ice cream instead. As he slowly ambled back to the gym (he needed to waste as much time as possible), he caught sight of a sheet of paper posted outside of the gym door.

There were a total of ten names on the paper, all written in various colored inks and with random embellishments next to them – hearts, smiley faces, even a fish (tuna, perhaps?). All the way at the bottom, in sparkly yellow ink with a star next to it was the name _Kagamine Len_.

Kaito felt his heart jump excitedly in his chest. Was it possible that this was his Len, his sweet locker neighbor with the gentle eyes? Kaito frantically reached for the purple pen tied next to sign-up sheet and wrote his name carefully underneath Len's. It was a win-win situation, the way he saw it. This way he no longer had to do anything in gym _and_ he got to spend time with a cute blond after school.

* * *

><p>Rin bounded into the empty science classroom with Gumi skipping behind her. The softball captain hopped up onto the teacher's desk, and her friend followed suit.<p>

"Ah, Gumi-chan, I'm so excited! I have a good feeling about this year!" the blonde sang. "I'm going to lead our team to the nationals; Len's going to find true love! Everything's going to work out perfectly!"

The green-haired girl laughed, tapping the heels of her sandals against the swirly wood of the desk. "I'm happy for Lenny. He's such a sweet guy; he deserves some lovin'." Rin nodded in agreement.

Their conversation was interrupted by two girls. "C'mon, Neru! Stop texting for a second, we're almost in the classroom!" Miku was desperately trying to push the girl into the room. Neru moved slowly, clearly distracted by the bright pink cellphone in her hands. Finally, the teal diva managed to get the blonde into the room and into a seat. The student council president smiled at Rin and Gumi. "Hi, I'm Miku." She extended her hand.

Gumi, being the impulsive person that she is, jumped off the desk and pulled Miku into a friendly hug. "Nice to meet ya, Miku-chan! I'm Gumi, and that's Rin-chan." She gestured to Rin. "She's our _team captain_," Gumi emphasized. Rin smiled at Miku and waved pleasantly.

"It's nice to meet you, Rin-chan. That's Neru," she pointed to her best friend who was still texting.

"Are we late?" A chipper voice asked, clearly out of breath. Len burst into the room, hair disheveled as usual, his small fist holding on tightly to the Dell's blazer as he dragged his new friend into the room. Rin's smile widened upon seeing her brother and Dell. "Nope, you're right on time, Len-Len."

"Good." Len waved to Miku and Neru (who still wasn't quite exactly paying attention). "Hi, I'm Len, and this is Dell." Miku greeted the two boys, surprised to see Dell.

"Um, is this where the softball meeting is being held?" In the doorframe stood a girl with long pale pink hair and a boy with deep ocean colored hair. "Yup!" Rin chirped, waving the newcomers in.

"Hey, it's onii-chan!" Len exclaimed, pleased to see his locker neighbor. Kaito grinned and went over to officially introduce himself.

"Ne, Gackpoid, I think this is where we need to be." Meiko stormed into the room with Gakupo. The violet-haired man narrowed his when he caught sight of Luka. "What is Miss Bubblegum doing here?"

Luka glanced at Gakupo, confused. "Bubble…gum?"

Rin gave everyone a few more minutes to become acquainted before calling the meeting to order. She stared down at the sign-up sheet she ripped off the wall before the meeting. "Hmm, I'm counting eleven names, but I'm only seeing ten faces. I think we're missing a Hatsune Mikuo?" She turned to Miku for confirmation.

The student council president nodded. "Yeah, that's my brother. He's probably just running a few minutes late. He should be here soon, though."

"Alright, then, I guess we'll go ahead and get started." Rin grinned delightedly. "Welcome, every one! My name is…"

"Wait, WAIT! I'm here, don't start yet!" A boy with short teal hair burst into the room, breathing heavily. He quickly darted into the empty seat in front of Dell. "Sorry, I'm late."

"You must be Mikuo. Don't sweat it; we just started. Anyway, as I was saying, my name is Kagamine Rin, and I'm gonna be your team captain this year! I hope you all are as excited as I am about the upcoming softball season. The season isn't officially until March, but there are a few small games this fall. It'll be a good opportunity for us to get in some practice. Now, how many of you have any softball or baseball experience?"

Gumi and Len were the only ones to raise their hands.

"Well, that's okay! We're gonna be spending every free moment from now until March practicing together and bonding. We need to all become friends. A softball team is a family; if we can't get along, we can't win." Rin paused, giving her words the opportunity to sink in. "We start practicing tomorrow after school, so we'll meet on the field dressed and ready to play!" After that, the group slowly broke apart. Miku and Neru were the first to leave, the over-achiever complaining about Neru's texting habits. Gakupo trailed after Luka, glaring daggers at the pink-haired girl's back. Mikuo skipped out of the room next, followed by Meiko. Only five remained.

Rin watched with a devious smile as Kaito and Len talked. The blonde nudged Gumi with her elbow, and both girls giggled. Dell strolled over to a window and forced it open; he lit a cigarette.

"Ne, ice cream?" Len asked incredulously. "So is that all you eat?" Len's eyes were wide as he stared at the blue-haired boy. Kaito chuckled.

"I eat other foods, Len-kun; I just mainly eat ice cream. It's so sweet and creamy." Kaito got a starry, far-away look in his eyes as he daydreamed about his beloved ice cream.

Len giggled cutely (**A/N: Ohmygod, he's so freaking cute! ^_^**) and poked Kaito's cheek. "Nii-chan must really love ice cream then." Kaito beamed, impulsively leaning over to ruffle Len's hair.

"I hate to break up this very touching moment," Rin teased, causing both boys to blush, "but, Len, it's about time we headed home. Besides, it's your night to cook, and we need to stop at the grocery store for some stuff."

"It's always my night to cook," Len mumble under his breath, but he nodded nonetheless. The five students slowly made their way out of the classroom. Kaito and Len walked side-by-side in the front; Gumi and Rin were behind them talking quickly in hushed whispers; Dell brought up the rear, still inhaling his precious nicotine.

Len couldn't help but feel sort of awkward. He just couldn't shake the feeling that Gumi and Rin were talking about him; more specifically him and Kaito. While he was used to his sister's plots and schemes, he couldn't say he particularly enjoyed them.

Once they reached the gate, the teammates parted ways – Rin, Len, and Dell heading in one direction, Gumi and Kaito in another.

"Hey, Dell, are you coming to the grocery store with us?" Len asked. The trio had been walking in the same direction for awhile now, leaving Len wondering if Dell lived nearby.

"Yeah, I need more cigarettes," Dell replied, holding up his empty carton. He blew smoke into air above the twins' heads and flicked ashes onto the pavement.

When they finally reached the store, Len couldn't help but sigh in relief, glad to finally be out of the heat. He flicked his sweaty bangs away from his face and removed his mandatory uniform blazer, draping it across the shopping cart. Dell followed suit, and then stalked off to procure a few items of his own.

"Ne, Rin, what do you want to eat tonight?" Len happily placed a bundle of bananas into the cart for himself and a bag of oranges for Rin. "Something that doesn't involve oranges," he hastily tacked on at the end.

Rin pouted and rolled her eyes, "Stir fry, I guess." She assisted her brother in getting the necessary vegetables for the meal – carrots, snap peas, bean sprouts, and mushrooms. The twins then headed to the sauce aisle, where they got into a five minute long argument about whether to get Thai peanut sauce or Mongolian orange sauce. In the end, Rin won, and the pair continued on to the meat area to pick up some chicken.

When they arrived at the checkout, Dell was already waiting for them. He held a small bag of candy and soda, and a fresh cigarette was propped between his lips. One of the cashiers, a young wisp of a girl, looked as though she wanted to say something but was too afraid to do so. The siblings purchased their food, and Dell swooped over to help them carry the bags. The cashier's eyes flickered between the twins and Dell disbelievingly.

And so the trio continued onward. Dell helped the blondes carry their bags, before biding his young friends goodbye and making his way home. The twins went inside. Len cooked whilst Rin teased him ceaselessly. Finally, the blondes prepared for bed.

"Today was a really good day," Rin said pleasantly. The two were sitting across from each other on Len's bed, watching the news. Both were dressed in pajamas – a white cotton camisole and orange shorts for Rin; an oversized white t-shirt and yellow shorts for Len. One of Len's feet rested in Rin's lap, as she painted his toenails.

"Today was a really _random_ day," Len corrected, rolling his wide blue eyes. In the corner of the room, a black oscillating fan was powered up, blowing soft blond hair into Len's face every time it made a rotation.

Rin snorted. "Yeah, I guess it was, but those are the best kind of days to me." She twisted the cap onto the small bottle of nail polish, then leaned back to admire her handiwork. "Looking good," she boasted, eyes glittering at the sight of her brother's shimmering amber toenails. Rin reached for the remote and cut off the television. "Get some sleep, Lenny. Tomorrow, it's the beginning of our softball adventure!"

"Yay," Len parroted sarcastically as he gave Rin a quick kiss on the cheek. Rin skipped off to her room, turning out the light as she went. Len snuggled deep into the covers, mumbling to himself before finally slipping into dreams.

"Tomorrow is definitely going to be an interesting day."

* * *

><p>AN: Longest chapter I have ever written in my life! I apologize if that chapter felt a little disjointed (it felt so awkward to me!). The next chapter flows a little bit better and I already like it much more than I like this one, and it's not even finished! I'm almost done with chapter 2 so it should be up soon!

Thank you for reading and please review!

SEE YA NEXT TIME!


	2. The Results of Kagamine Rin's Pep Talk

A/N: *slams head against keyboard and screams* NO NO NO NO NOOOO! I have messed up my freaking laptop AGAIN! What . The. Hell.

I'm updating this three days after I actually finished because I only just got the time to do so. Thankfully, I can spend a little time working on this story at school and in the afternoons at the library, but my updates will probably be a little inconsistent…not that they aren't already…*sweatdrop* Anyway, guys, here's the chapter.

ENJOY!

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: The Results of Kagamine Rin's Pep Talk<strong>

Kaito stared at himself in the mirror as he adjusted his tie, blinking sleepily. He carelessly tossed his fingers through his cobalt hair, trying to achieve some semblance of neatness. The blunette shuffled down to the kitchen and took a large tub of coffee ice cream out of the freezer. He dished some up for himself, sitting at the table to eat. Suddenly, his cell phone beeped, alerting him of a text message.

_Kagamine Rin_

_6:50 a.m._

_Remember everyone, softball practice 2day after school. Meet on the field, dressed and ready to play! XD_

Kaito sighed, slipping his neon blue cell phone into the pocket of his slacks. He quickly finished his ice cream and returned to his bedroom to pack up some practice clothes. He grabbed his school bag and blazer, then left.

The sun wasn't quite out yet, the world around him a strange blue-yellow color. Kaito slipped on his blazer as it was a little cold. He took a deep breath, allowing the crisp early summer air to fill his nostrils.

Up ahead, he could just make out the sight of two golden heads. Kaito sped up, instantly recognizing Len and Rin. The twins were arguing.

"Iced coffee, Rin?" Len complained, his normally delicate voice was irritated and much louder than normal. "You woke me up early to go get iced coffee? I could've still been sleeping right now!" Clearly this shota did not like being interrupted from his rest.

"Gahh! Lenny, don't be mad at meee!" his demanding female counterpart whined, poking her brother's cheek. Suddenly, she turned around and pointed at Kaito, startling Len. The blond boy whirled around, surprised to see his onii-chan. "Kaito, tell him not to be mad at me!"

Kaito smiled awkwardly, wanting to avoid being stuck between the argument of two very temperamental teenagers. "Erm…"

"Don't force him into our argument!" Len crossed his arms in front of his chest and pouted. _Ah, he's so cute,_ Kaito cooed internally. Kaito stepped between the two siblings and draped an arm across their shoulders.

"Come on, guys, let's not argue! You know what? Instead of boring iced coffee, we should get some ice cream!" Kaito exclaimed, azure eyes shimmering with excitement. "That will make everything all better!"

"Ice?" Len began.

"Cream?" Rin finished.

The older boy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! We'll be so happy about eating our delicious ice cream, we won't even remember what we were arguing about!"

"Kaito-nii, where the hell are we supposed to get ice cream at 7 o'clock in the morning?" Len inquired. Part of him was asking just to prove a point, but the other part was genuinely curious. He couldn't help but find Kaito's ice cream enthusiasm a little…off-putting.

And also kind of cute, but there was no way in hell Len was going to admit that, not even to himself.

"The convenience store is open pretty early," replied Kaito, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Already, Kaito could feel the dreamy grin on his face at the mere prospect of ice cream. He knew that he was probably creeping Len and Rin out with his strange obsession, but he couldn't help it. "Ice cream is love," the cerulean haired boy sighed.

Len and Rin exchanged a slightly – okay, incredibly – disturbed look. Their locked eyes flickered frantically, the mirror images communicating without words.

_God, Len, your friend is creepy as hell! Did you know he was such a weirdo?_

_No! He seemed perfectly normal yesterday! I guess you can just never tell who's a psycho. I mean, look at the people who still think __**you're**__ normal. Little do they know, my sister is a few grapes shy of a fruit salad. _Len shook his head pityingly.

Rin merely smiled unthreateningly at her brother before reaching over and popping him upside the head.

The trio finally arrived at Starbucks – Len ordered an iced vanilla latte; Rin chose an iced caramel macchiato; Kaito (after spending ten minutes arguing with the barista: "Can you use ice cream instead of ice?") went with a mocha frappicino . The surprisingly childish teenager (_Is he really older than us?_ Len couldn't help but wonder) pretended to cry, and finally the poor under-paid coffee-maker was left with no choice but to plop three scoops of vanilla ice cream in along with chocolate and coffee.

Len was sure to slip the man a tip; anyone who dealt with an ice cream-loving Kaito deserved it.

And thus, our heroes carried on to school, sipping their cool caffeinated beverages, and chatting about random things, such as bananas and elephants, and how wonderful oranges were.

* * *

><p>The day of Kamui Gakupo started off with significantly less excitement, thankfully. After stopping at the corner store and picking up a specially-made bento – jasmine rice and eggplants drizzled in teriyaki sauce – Gakupo made his way to school. However, just as he turned to make the shortcut through the park, he was knocked off his feet by a pretty girl on a bicycle.<p>

Though, once he saw _who_ was on the two-wheeled vehicle, he quickly took back his thought about her being cute.

It was Megurine Luka or, as the great Gackpoid referred to her, Little Miss Bubblegum. Childish, yes, but also very amusing for his petulant inner four-year-old.

Luka opened her mouth to apologize but was quickly cut off by a rather snarky comment from the violet immature teenager. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Miss Bubblegum."

Luka's delicate face conveyed her bewilderment. "Um, Gakupo-san, my name is Luka, remember? We were in drama troupe together? You cussed me out and threatened to beat me up with an eggplant plushie last year? Don't tell me you've forgotten."

Gakupo snorted; obviously Luka didn't understand that he was mocking her. Make no mistake, Gakupo was almost certain that the girl wasn't stupid; in fact, she had the highest grades in their class. Bubblegum just seemed to be the type to see the best in everyone, assuming that he'd merely forgotten her name rather than assuming that he was deliberately being rude. This prospect just made the purple-haired boy hate her even more.

_How dare she be so considerate!_

Of course, there was always the chance that she _knew_ he was mocking her and therefore chose to make fun of him in return by questioning his intelligence. Internally, perhaps she was saying, "Haha! You dumb bastard, you can't even remember the name of the girl who stole your position as Yamaha High's acting star! Mwahaha!" Naturally, to anyone who possessed any common sense, they would've immediately passed this concept off as ridiculous, and completely illogical. However, to Gakupo's paranoid mind, this made perfect sense.

As they say, common sense is not common.

"Oh, I remember you perfectly well, _Luka_," he answered tauntingly. Luka seemed genuinely bewildered by Gakupo's pissed-off tone, as well as his scathing glare. However, the pink-haired girl merely chose to shrug it off. Perhaps he'd had a bad morning?

Despite his chewing her out last school year, Luka did not hate Gakupo as he hated her. In fact, she had been rather disappointed when he'd been kicked out of drama club, even if his untimely dismissal had given her the current position of club president. Gakupo was a talented actor, and she had grown tired of having to act alongside him in tragedy after tragedy. When Luka spoke up, the club members threw out some suggestions and took a vote. Through a unanimous decision (with one exception, of course), it was determined that _The Wizard of Oz _would be their next production; and who else would play the role of kind, sweet Dorothy other than Yamaha High's sweetheart, Megurine Luka?

And of course, who would act alongside her as the well-meaning, oblivious Scarecrow, other than their president and performing arts prodigy, Kamui Gakupo?

Luka had been excited; finally she could see Gakupo perform something _happy_ rather than the same old depressing song and dance of Shakespearean tragedy.

But then, one day, he threw an eggplant plushie in her face.

Luka had been so shocked, that she couldn't do anything other than stare at him, faintly wondering if she should laugh or punch him in the face. It hadn't hurt nor had Gakupo's harsh words; it was just the sheer ridiculousness of the situation that was making her angry and annoyed. So rather than slapping him or crying or laughing in his face, Luka responded to his immaturity with her own.

She stomped on his foot in her sparkling ruby slippers.

Dorothy would be proud.

There had been complete silence in the auditorium. A few students who had popped in to see what all the commotion was, stood near the door, uncertain whether or not to leave. Gakupo bit his lip, but finally in the midst of the silence, let out a low whimper that reverberated against the stillness of the theater.

And then, everyone slow clapped.

Some girl with curly bright pink ponytails started in slowly. A silver-haired girl, a shy thing that mainly worked on lighting and props, hesitantly joined in. And soon enough, everyone was clapping and whistling, cheering on Miss Bubblegum who had just slain the Lilac Dragon.

Dorothy had defeated the Wicked Witch.

"Well, do you want a ride to school?" Luka asked, scooting up on the bike and patting the small space behind her, skirt riding up a little as she did so.

Gakupo briefly considered the offer. He would get to school much quicker, not to mention everyone would be jealous when they saw him riding to school with a pretty – he clenched his teeth as he finally admitted it to himself – girl. His small collection of fangirls would be a little jealous, but that would just make them want him even more.

_Mmm, tempting._

However, he would also be showing up to school clinging to the back of the girl who'd made a fool of the Great Gackpoid.

_Thanks, but no thanks._

"No, thanks, Bubblegum-chan," he smirked. Gakupo took off into the park, sauntering away confidently. Luka glanced down the turquoise watch on her wrist. "Someone's going to be late," she muttered to herself before pushing away from the curb and pedaling away.

* * *

><p>"Miku, what the hell is that?" Neru demanded as her eyes darted up from the cell phone she kept hidden underneath the table. The two friends sat in the back of the school library during their study period. They were supposed to be doing the Spanish II homework that both of them had failed to complete – neither was particularly good at the language, leaving both of them to wonder how they passed the first level of Spanish – but Neru was too distracted by her texting, and Miku was too distracted by her hunger.<p>

And thus, that brings us to our current predicament.

Miku pulled out her snacks, careful to keep them hidden from the demonic, spinster librarians. She popped open a bag that Neru had initially assumed was chips. However, when Miku pulled her hand out of the bag, the blond quickly realized that they were NOT chips.

"Dried leeks," the teal-haired girl hummed pleasantly. She slipped the treat into her mouth and chewed, the leeks making a disconcertingly crunchy sound. She then pulled a thermos out as well. Miku popped the top off and poured a generous helping of thick mud-green juice into the cup-sized lid. She proffered both the leeks and the juice to Neru. "Want some?"

"No!" the text-a-holic blurted quickly. She could say beyond a shadow of a doubt that she could happily live the rest of her life without ever having dried leeks or that toxic biohazard juice. "What's in it anyway?"

"Oh you know, a little of this, a little of that," was Miku's nonchalant reply. _Perhaps some mysteries of life are better left unanswered_, Neru pondered. _In this case, ignorance is definitely bliss._

"Sooo," Neru drawled, "Wanna go shopping this afternoon?" Her fingers moved lightning-quick over the small QWERTY keyboard of her phone. The complicated tangle of cell phone charms and straps slapped against her manicured hands.

"We can't. We both have softball practice this afternoon, remember?" Miku said around a mouth full of leeks.

"Damn, I forgot about that."

"I don't see how," Miku teased. "That thousand pound gym bag should've been enough of a reminder. What's in there anyway? The boys' soccer team?"

"I wish!" the blond snorted. "But, you know," glossy lips twisted into a smirk, "a little of this, a little of that," the blond mimicked.

"Hey," Miku chose to err away from that conversation for the time being, "did you see that Kaito guy yesterday at the softball meeting?"

Neru raised an eyebrow but did not look away from the small glowing screen. "Yeah. He seems nice in an oblivious idiot sort of way. Why do you ask?"

The leek-lover giggled at her friend's description of Kaito. "He's pretty cute. I hope we get to know each other this year. I mean, I've seen him around school, and we've had a few classes together, but I've never really gotten to talk to him."

Neru's head darted away from the cellular device; the glint in her eyes could only be described as devious and excited. "Aww, you like him! The two of you would be soooo cute together! I can just see it now; you'll fall in love, get married, and then have a bunch of blue-haired, leek-loving babies together! I better be your maid-of-honor. Oh, and name one of the babies after meee! Please!" she begged.

"Neru, I do NOT have a crush on Kaito! And no, I am NOT naming one of my children after you!"

The blonde girl pouted. "Killjoy. I would name one of my kids after you. Besides, you may not have a crush on him yet, but you will soon enough! And I, your best friend, Akita Neru, will be there to witness the whole gooey, sappy, romantic ordeal!"

* * *

><p><em>That bitch! <em>Gakupo mentally ranted as he stormed into the guidance office. _She knew I was going to be fucking late! Why the fuck didn't she say something?_

Hmm, perhaps it was because he threw a stuffed eggplant in her face? Or maybe because he screamed at her? Or quite possibly even because he continuously called her Bubblegum?

No, this and that are probably unrelated.

Probably.

Gakupo shoved open the door of Leon's office with complete disregard for all sense of propriety and manners. The sulking violet dramatically flopped into a chair across from Leon's desk, completely ignoring the shaking freshman in the chair next to him.

Leon stared at Gakupo unabashedly, though he couldn't say he was surprised to see the senior here in the least. "Erm, Gakupo…" The counselor was unsure where to begin.

"I need to talk to you about Bubblegum Bitch," Gakupo snarled. The little boy next to him shifted his chair away as far as possible.

Leon didn't bother with chastising him about his colorful language. "I'm busy with another student right now, Gakupo."

"Oh, I see," the former thespian stated coolly, his sudden bout of calmness setting Leon on edge. "I'm not important enough; my problems don't matter in comparison to some freshman. You have four years to sort out his issues! I'm just a senior; I'm gonna be gone in a few months. Shouldn't we sort this out now, before I have to go off to college with all this emotional baggage?"

Gakupo was truly a gifted performer because only five minutes later Leon found himself fully focused on the teen, no freshman insight.

As the Great Gackpoid ranted on – Leon wasn't quite exactly sure about what; he only occasionally heard the words 'bubblegum' and 'gonna beat her with an eggplant' – Leon's mind wandered. _Hmm, I wonder what I'm going to eat for lunch today. Maybe I'll get Lola to take me to McDonalds. Yeah, some French fries would be really good right now. God, I'm starving. Is it twelve yet? How long has this drama queen – er, king been sitting in my office? It's at least been thirty minutes. That's an acceptable time to 'listen' to him, right? Maybe if I oh so casually write him a pass, he'll take the hint and go back to class._

"…Therefore, it's totally acceptable for me to push her in front of a bus, right?" Leon jolted in his seat at Gakupo's sudden declaration. The counselor sat up straight and got back into serious therapist mode. They definitely didn't pay him enough for what he had to deal with.

"Gakupo-kun, you've got to learn to work with Megurine-san. The two of you are going to be teammates. At least make an attempt to get along with her. And please stop talking about murdering her, or at least don't tell me about it. I have to report these things to the principal, as well as the school psychologist."

Gakupo pouted and muttered under his breath. "But I don't want to."

Leon sighed, frustration leaking through. "Look, all the world's a stage, right? Meaning that even if you don't like her and wish she were dead, you can at least _act_ like you feel otherwise?"

The violet-eyed student sighed. "Whatever. Can you write me a pass back to class?" Leon didn't hesitate to meet the boy's request. He'd written so quickly, that the words just looked like squiggles. The security guard was definitely going to accuse him of having a fake pass.

"Oh, by the way, Gakupo-kun, I may be busy for the next few weeks," _Or year_, "So if you have any other problems, start going to Lola-san, okay?" Gakupo nodded and it took all Leon had not to burst into maniacal laughter.

* * *

><p>Kaito couldn't help but feel incredibly ridiculous, more so than usual. Currently, the cerulean boy was crouched down amidst the bleachers, determined to remain unseen by his sadistic torturers disguised as physical education teachers. Down below, teenage boys ran around in a blood thirsty war known as flag football. A bit further away, the girls stood in the tall grass "playing" field hockey. Most of them just stood there socializing.<p>

Kaito tugged his gym shirt further over his head to keep his bright blue locks from sight. It had taken him exactly ten seconds of game play to realize that unless he wanted to die or lose a limb, he should probably find a way to get out of playing football. Even though it was just flag football, most of the guys tackled anyway, and conveniently enough the teachers were always looking away whenever it happened. Kaito hadn't even wasted time with Demon sensei. He carefully tip-toed over to the metal bleachers and hid near the top.

At the beginning of class, Kaito explained to Demon-sensei that he'd signed up for softball, and practice would be starting this afternoon. However, the sadist refused to believe him, even after Kaito showed him the sign-up sheet. "Shion, get out on that field with the others," he had demanded. Normally, the bluenette was a very relaxed person, and he didn't get angry easily. Never before had he wanted to punch someone as bad as he had wanted to punch Demon-sensei at that very moment.

Finally, Demon-sensei blew the whistle for them to return indoors, and when he thought the coast was clear, he emerged from his hiding spot and blended in with the mass of sweaty teenagers.

"Shion!"

Kaito clenched his teeth in a desperate attempt not to strangle his teacher to death. "Yes, sensei?" he asked, turning around slowly.

"Where were you? I didn't see you on the field!" Demon-sensei demanded.

"I was out there. I was probably just moving around so much, you couldn't see me." Was he a superhero now, capable of running so fast that he was just a blur? There was no way Demon-sensei was going to buy _that_.

"Nice try, Shion, but I'm not buying it. Since you're so fond of telling lies and skipping class, you can do a set of fifty push-ups when we get inside." Demon-sensei stalked ahead, leaving a very depressed, very angry Kaito behind him. When the bastard was far away, Kaito closed his eyes and tilted his head up towards the clouds.

"Ice Cream Gods, please take away all that man's ice cream. He doesn't deserve it. Amen."

* * *

><p>Dell's crimson eyes twitched in barely repressed annoyance. He pried open the door of his locker with more force than intended. He shoved the binder into the locker, the frail plastic slamming against the metal. Around him, students hedged away, sensing his agitation. The only one unaware of his increasing irritation was actually the source of his irritation – Hatsune Mikuo.<p>

Mikuo remembered seeing Dell at the softball meeting. The teal-haired boy smiled at him, and Dell nodded in response, and the rest was history. Mikuo latched onto Dell, like fangirls and pedophiles latched onto Len.

Mikuo was pretty smart, and most of the stuff he said wasn't _too_ stupid, so Dell didn't really mind being around him for most of the day. In fact, there was only one main problem Dell had with Mikuo.

He would not shut up.

_Seriously, does this guy come with an off button? _Mikuo apparently felt it necessary to share every single mundane thought with his newfound friend. Dell was resisting the urge to strangle the poor boy when Len showed up.

"Hey, guys," the blond boy greeted them. Mikuo responded with a peppy, "Hi, Len-chan!" Dell's greeting was less excited. "Hey."

"Len-chan, your ponytail is really cute. Do you think I would look good with a ponytail?" The little shota smiled at Mikuo's happy-go-lucky attitude.

"Yeah, I think so. Then we can be hair twins!" Len laughed. Dell rolled his eyes as Len and Mikuo continued to talk. Honestly, it didn't surprise him in the least that Mikuo and Len got along. They both had sweet personalities and were easily approachable. They were both really smart, too.

One of them was just a tad more talkative than the other.

"So, Mikuo-kun, are you excited about softball practice?"

Mikuo nodded, turquoise hair swaying as he did so. "Yeah. I've never really played before outside of P.E., but I'm really excited about it. I can't wait to get to know everyone. Len-kun has some softball experience, right?"

Len snorted, a soft almost feminine sound. "Barely. Rin has a tendency to over-exaggerate my abilities. I used to play baseball when I was really young, but I sucked at it."

"I'm sure Len-chan's not that bad."

"Oh God, Mikuo-kun, you don't know the worst of it," the blond boy smiled sheepishly at the memory of his Little League days. "I was so bad that they never let me play in any of the games. I always sat on the bench watching everyone else play. It used to make Rin so mad. One day she kicked my coach in the shin and called him a fascist bastard; I'm pretty sure she didn't even know what it meant. I got kicked off the team after that. Rin felt really bad about it, but I didn't care. I'm pretty sure that if she hadn't kicked him, I would still be sitting on that damn bench to this very day."

Mikuo and Dell both laughed. "I can't really say that surprises me," Dell smirked. "Rin definitely strikes me as the type of person to kick a bitch."

"Len!" a loud voice called, belonging to none other than Rin. Len rolled his eyes. _Speak of the devil, and she shall appear._

"There you are!" Rin huffed, slightly out of breath. Her short flaxen hair was frazzled and wind-torn, and her fat floppy bow was twisted off to the side. Rin donned a pair of dark blue shorts and pale yellow tank top (_Isn't that mine?_ Len pondered), which struck Len as odd, considering the fact that his sister didn't have gym this semester. "I need your help with something, Lenny. You see, I maybe possibly sorta accidentally got your sneakers stuck in a tree. So, yeah."

"How did you get _my_ shoes stuck in a tree?" Aquamarine eyes widened in confusion and trepidation. By now, Len probably should be used to Rin's troublesome antics, but he wasn't. Despite the fourteen plus years of mistakes, pranks, and general mayhem he'd experienced because of his female counterpart, Len could honestly say that his twin would never cease to amaze him, both negatively and positively.

"See, what had happened was," Rin began, and already Len was groaning at the expected randomness of this story, "Gumi-chan and I were on our way to lunch, but Gumi left her notebook in the French class room. Well, when we went back to get it, we noticed that there was this kitten stuck in a tree." Here Len exchanged a look with Dell and Mikuo to see if they too found this anecdote quite as outlandish as he did.

"Gumi-chan and I immediately dashed outside to save it! I started to climb the tree, but then I realized that if someone walked by and looked up, they would be able see my underwear – which is really embarrassing 'cause I'm wearing the ones with the cute dancing oranges on them. So I dashed inside and got our practice clothes from inside my locker, but I was in such a hurry that I accidentally put your shirt on instead, Len!" Rin paused to take a quick breath. "Anyway, when I came back, there were some birds messing with the poor kitty. Gumi and I started throwing stuff at the birds to get them to leave it alone, and one of those items was your shoes. And now they're stuck in the tree…and the kitty's still there too."

Len wasn't quite exactly sure how to respond, so he just settled for staring incredulously at his sister. Dell seemed similarly perturbed, but Mikuo was just smiling the entire time, clearly amused. Without another word, Rin grabbed Len's hand and dragged him down the hallway, leaving Mikuo and Dell to follow behind them.

* * *

><p>Kaito sat in back of the classroom bored out of his mind. He was supposed to be taking notes, but he found his mind wandering, thoughts dancing between ice cream and Len. The blunette tapped his ink pen against the edge of his notebook. A few rows ahead Neru and Miku were giggling and occasionally one of them would glance back and look at him (<em>Do I have something on my face?<em>). Meiko sat directly in front of him, locked in a dead sleep. Kaito's eyes drifted out to the window.

_Ah, it looks hot outside. Is there a kitty in that tree? Poor thing. Maybe I'll go outside and get it after class._

At that exact moment, Len braced his feet against the scratchy bark of the oak tree. After taking three deep breaths, he dug his feet into the tree and began to climb. The cat – an adorable creature with patches of black fur against the white – was desperately holding on to a branch. Len completely forgot about his shoes, climbing faster and faster.

"Be careful, Len!" his sister shouted from down below. Len glanced back over his shoulder to where his friends waited; suddenly the tree seemed much higher.

Kaito bolted out of his seat and took hurried, panicked steps to the window. His classmates blinked up at him, initially confused by his sudden movement. However, as soon as Miku shrieked, "Oh my god, is that Len-kun?" the rest of the students crowded around the window.

Len ascended as closely to the feline as possible, wary of the birds harassing it. The terrified blond latched onto a nearby branch, afraid that grabbing the same branch would send both him and the cat to a dangerous fall below.

Kaito frantically shoved the window open, his heart beating and his palms sweating as watched his locker neighbor dangle precariously from the tree. Next to him, Miku held onto his arm tightly, concerned for Len's safety as well.

Len squeezed his eyes shut in fear as he edged one of his hands away from the branch towards the kitten. He held his hand out for the cat to jump into, but the poor thing was much too frightened to do so.

"Come on, kitty," the blond soothed, his aqua eyes gently urging. "Everything will be fine. I've got you." The tiny cat carefully perched itself onto Len's arm, scurrying along the length to rest on his shoulder. Len smiled at the creature, and then snagged his shoes by the laces before slowly lowering himself to the ground. Suddenly, though, his foot slipped.

Kaito and the other teenagers shouted and screamed as they watched Len lose his grip go tumbling downwards. The blue-eyed boy felt his heart lurch, his fists gripping the window frame tightly.

Instinctively, Dell rushed forward, just in time for the little shota and the kitten to fall into his arms. The crimson-eyed smoker carefully lowered the blond to the ground, Rin, Gumi, and Mikuo rushing forward to embrace him.

Miku, Neru, and Kaito breathed a sigh of relief, glad that their teammate was unharmed. Len looked up, eyes wide as he took in the sight of all the students who had been anxiously watching him. The happiness Kaito felt when those glittering aqua eyes landed on him was incomparable. Len's rose-colored lips tilted up into a dazzling smile, one that was just for Kaito. "Onii-chan!" Len shouted, waving.

Mikuo watched curiously as cute little Len-chan greeted his nii-chan from up above. There was something about it that he just couldn't place his finger on. Something about Kaito and Len's interactions with each other that seemed just a little different from how they interacted with others.

It didn't take much effort, though, for him to realize that the look in Kaito's eyes was completely adoring.

* * *

><p>Luka leaned back against the bench in the dugout, the cool metal refreshing against the heated skin of her body. She wore the official Yamaha High gym uniform – a pair of dark blue shorts and white t-shirt with the school's name written across the chest – and pair of knee-high pink socks. Next to her were Miku and Neru, also in the gym uniform. Further down, on the other end of the bench was Gakupo and Meiko<p>

"Where are the others?" Luka asked, mainly aloud to herself. The actress had been the first to arrive, followed by Miku and Neru, then Gakupo and Meiko.

"I don't know, but I know they need to hurry the fuck up," Meiko grumbled. She was burning up in this heat, sweat already pouring down her face.

"Sorry we're late everyone!" sang a cheery voice that could've only belonged to Rin. She and Gumi walked arm-in-arm towards the dugout, practically skipping, the cute kitten from earlier scurrying at her heels. Behind them Len, Mikuo, Kaito, and Dell trudged across the field, their arms laden with softball equipment. Rin patiently waited for the rest of the boys to join them before jumping into her tirade.

"All right, guys! Today we're gonna start with batting. Before I go over the proper technique, I figured we should just jump right on in so I can see how you guys are already. So does anyone want to bat first?" Rin grinned expectantly, but no one volunteered.

"Alright, Lenny, how about you go first?" the blond girl declared, pointing at her brother.

Len sighed, "I'd really rather not."

"Oh well! You don't really have a choice!" Rin shouted jubilantly as she grabbed her brother and pushed him onto the field. She retrieved a bat and a ball from Kaito, shoved the wooden bat into Len's hands, and took her position as pitcher.

"C'mon, Rin," Len pleaded in an attempt to reason with his twin. "I'm telling you; I suck. I can't do this."

Rin shook her head, effervescent smile still in place. "Yes, you can, Len. I believe in you. You can do anything if you put your mind to it! Now I just need _you_ to believe in you. Now, c'mon, Lenny! Show this ball who's boss!"

Len couldn't help but find Rin's enthusiasm contagious. He was pumped and energized, a bit more confident after Rin's inspiring pep talk. From the dugout, Mikuo and Gumi whooped and hollered for him. Len tightened his grip on the softball bat, determined. He nodded at Rin and readied himself.

Rin nodded back, proud of her brother's resolve. She swung her arm back then snapped it forward in a graceful sweeping arc. The ball soared towards Len and when he judged the distance close enough, he swung.

The wood made contact with the ball, a sharp _crack_ echoing throughout the field. Momentum redirected, the ball slammed against the fence separating the field from the dugout, causing the teammates inside to jump.

Len smiled at them apologetically, his eyes downcast due to embarrassment. "Hehe, sorry."

Rin patted Len on the back, proud of him nonetheless. Len returned to the shade of the dugout, his kitty rushing forward to greet him. He beamed down at the kitty before scooping it up in his arms and taking a seat. "You'll do better next time, bro. Alright. Gumi-chan, you wanna go next?"

"Yup!" the green-haired girl chirped, bouncing up to the plate. Gumi spun the bat in the air like a baton before catching it in one hand. "Gimme your best pitch, Rin-chan!" The ball shot from Rin's hand in a blur. With a well-rehearsed ease, Gumi swung out with the bat, knocking the ball deep into the outfield. Rin nodded her approval. "Good job, Gumi-chan. Who's next? Perhaps our Student Council president would like to grace us with her talents?" Rin teased.

Miku shook her head. "Oh no, Rin-chan, I'm not good at softball." The teal-haired president took up the bat and patiently waited . Rin threw the ball once more, but this time it was terribly off-course. Miku side-stepped the ball, before picking it up at gently tossing it back.

"Mm. good job, Miku-chan. In a real game, you would've wanted to avoid hitting that ball too," Rin praised. "Let's try that again."

Rin pitched the ball once more. Miku steadied herself and swung; however, she completely missed the target, tilting her head away just in time to avoid being beheaded by a baseball. She stared at the ball with wide teal eyes, blinking away the shock of almost having died. Rin giggled sheepishly, "Erm, sorry about that."

Next up was Gakupo. The drama king held the bat in his hands tightly, his violet eyes observing Rin warily. When the ball came his way, Gakupo missed completely.

After him, Neru went. Her golden eyes bored into Rin, daring the girl to hit her with the softball. The softball captain made to pitch the ball, but paused mid-throw when a sharp trilling ring came out of nowhere. Everyone turned towards the sound, which just so happened to be coming from the hot pink cell phone resting in Neru's pocket. With complete disregard for the fact that she was in softball practice, the long-haired blond flipped open the device with practiced ease.

"Why don't we come back to Neru?" Miku suggested as she watched her best friend text. Kaito was chosen to go next. The bluenette shuffled up to the plate, sapphire eyes glancing at Rin nervously. The blond pitched, and one second was all it took.

Kaito swung much too hard, the wooden bat flying out of his hands and heading straight for the dugout entrance, narrowly avoiding nailing Meiko right in the face. The brunette screamed at him, and Kaito shrank away, completely oblivious to the ball that was still headed straight for his face.

Meiko guffawed loudly as the softball nailed the blue-haired boy directly between the eyes. Kaito whined, rubbing his forehead sadly as he scooting back into the dugout.

"Kaito-nii, are you okay?" Len asked, his sky blue eyes concerned, as Luka went to bat next. Len allowed his thin fingers to gently caress the rapidly forming bruise on Kaito's forehead. Kaito sighed peacefully at the soothing feeling of the adorable blond's hand on his face.

"I'm fine, Len-kun," the blunette answered, not wanting Len to worry about him. Kaito smiled reassuringly and briefly considered asking Len to kiss his bruise better.

_Smash!_

The two boys jumped as a sharp crashing noise rang through the air. Dell was currently standing at home plate, a pleased smirk on his face. When he swung, the ball made contact with the bat, sending it soaring out of bounds. The ball flew cliché enough, straight through the window of a biology classroom. Even from out on the field, they could hear the surprised shrieks of the people indoors. Dell didn't seem remorseful in the least.

Rin shrugged, not alarmed in the least, a drastic comparison to the reactions of her teammates. The blonde captain simply picked up another ball and continued on as though nothing happened.

Meiko went next, her expression skimming the line between boredom and annoyance. It was hot, and the brunette just wanted to go indoors and drink something cold. Perhaps she should've joined the science club; at least they didn't have to go outside much.

Meiko hit the ball, sending it soaring overhead and crashing, thankfully, through the hole Dell had already created. Once again, the people indoors screamed. Meiko couldn't help but think that they deserved it for enjoying the cool air-conditioning while she was out here sweating her ass off.

Last but certainly not least was Mikuo. The teal-haired boy was the only one, other than Gumi, that managed to successfully hit the ball _without_ nearly decapitating themselves or someone else, and without taking out any windows. Afterwards, Rin instructed the team to complete a few laps around the track to build up some endurance (Meiko, Gakupo, and Dell has a few choice words in response to _that_ request). Len was the only who didn't complain; he lived with Rin, so any remarks he made would result in horrifying punishment the second they got home.

The group ran around the track, uncomfortably sweaty. When they were finished, they collapsed into an exhausted heap, worn out mainly by the sun rather than exercise.

"I wish…the heavens would just open up and pour ice cream on me," Kaito panted, out-stretched across the somewhat cool grass. Rin smiled down (a little sadistically) at the group; she was used to running around in the heat, so the sun didn't affect her at all.

"You guys did pretty good for your first day. We'll practice some pitching tomorrow." Rin winked over at Gumi, giggling as she recalled the rather embarrassing (for Len) conversation from the day before. Len couldn't help the blush that formed on his face when he saw Gumi winking back at Rin.

"Hey, are you okay, Len-kun?" Luka inquired politely, genuinely concerned about the shota's health. She handed him a pale pink water bottle. "Here, you might be a little dehydrated. This'll help."

Len graciously accepted the water, taking a deep swing to fight back his embarrassment, though his cheeks were still rosy. However, Len nearly choked when Rin shouted over to Gumi, "Hey, I wonder if Kaito-nii is good at pitching!"

* * *

><p>AN: Rawr! Why do my endings feel so abrupt? By the way, there isn't gonna be any MikuxKaito, this is just for the sake of the plot. The whole recurring pitching joke is a sexual innuendo. "Pitching" would be the equivalent of being the seme or topping. (I am probably explaining this unnecesarily)

I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter, and I will try my hardest to get that up soon. Please REVIEW! It would mean the world to meee!

SEE YA NEXT TIME!


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